Testimony Building

I recently recorded an episode of the television series, “Christian Music Videos”, highlighting the portion of scripture that I’ll be sharing with you today. This past Sunday my pastor preached on it, and over the weekend as I thought more on these verses in James, I began to see an even deeper meaning in them. James chapter 1, verses 2 through 4 says: 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Have you ever heard the term “building a testimony”? If we continually remember all of the amazing things that God has done in our lives, especially in the difficult times, then when we have an opportunity to share Christ with others we have examples, or a testimony, of our experiences as proof of God’s faithfulness. As I re-read James, I began to realize that it is through trials where we have persevered that we build testimonies. If we are able to put our trust in God when trials come, and leave everything in his hands, then any positive outcome can only be attributed to him. And in that, we have built a testimony with which to share with others if they want to know why we put our faith in Christ. I’m a big believer in testimonies. I try to put myself in the shoes of the unbeliever when they are told about Christ. How can they believe without any proof? I understand that it all comes down to faith, and that ultimately it is the Holy Spirit who will draw them unto himself, but wouldn’t it be exceedingly helpful if you had examples of how God came through in your life when explaining to others why they should put their faith in him? We don’t follow Christ because of what we can get from him, but identifying times when he has come through for us bolsters our faith and helps us share with others how we have seen his hand at work.

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We build testimonies in our lives by recognizing what God has done for us and sharing it with others. It is more than just bragging on Jesus, which is awesome in and of itself. But it can be a tool to build faith in others as they hear your story of how faithful God was in a trial that you went through. No one invites trials in their lives, but they are bound to come. When they do, as James says, count it pure joy. Because as your faith is tested and you persevere, you grow more mature in the faith. Another benefit is that you have a testimony to share with others during their trials, or during their search for Christ.

The Real World

I remember when I first saw the blockbuster movie, “The Matrix” back in 1999. I was blown away by the original story and the ground breaking special effects. Now, almost two decades since its release, I still think about a phrase Morpheus tells Neo when he first pulls his consciousness out of the matrix. He says, “welcome to the real world”. When I consider that phrase, I’m reminded that we are in somewhat of a matrix; a world that isn’t as real as the one we will see after we die. The real world is the heavenly realm. Ephesians makes reference to it, and we can also find a story in second Kings that fleshes it out. In second kings chapter 6 verse 17, it says: 

“And Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

In the story, the servant was afraid because he saw an army of Arameans soldiers surrounding them, preparing to attack. Elisha wasn’t afraid because he knew that God would protect him. He says to the servant, “Don’t be afraid, those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” When God opened the servant’s eyes so that he could see the army of God, it was almost as if God were saying “welcome to the real world”. Like Elisha, I believe that believers should always keep in mind that there is a world more real than the one we are currently living in; a spiritual realm that we can’t yet see, but we will one day. So, remember that God is at work within this spiritual realm, and even when we can’t see it with our own eyes, we should have faith.

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One day our eyes will be fully opened as if we are being told, “welcome to the real world”. Until then, we get to play in this physical realm where we are locked within these physical bodies and can only see with our physical eyes. We are limited by the laws of science, nature and time as we exist in the here and now. But we should never forget about the spiritual world, because Ephesians tells us that our battle isn’t against flesh and blood people that we can see in this physical world, but it is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. If we don’t believe there is a spiritual world then what do we do with a portion of scripture like this? I encourage you to give it some thought.

Unity In Spirit

Every New Year, I encourage you to make every effort to rekindle, or further stoke, your relationship with God, as well as your relationships with others - especially those in the church. The Bible encourages us to do that, and to never forget that all Bible-believing Christians are one in the Spirit. It says in Ephesians chapter 4, verses 3 through 6:

“Make every effort to keep in unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

That portion of scripture focuses on the oneness of our faith; one body, one Spirit, one Lord and one faith. American culture generally fosters individuality; that we can be fulfilled in our self-centeredness. Many of us have fallen into a pattern of going to church where there may be many believers, yet remaining isolated in our own lives, cares and troubles. But it isn't that way in many other cultures around the world. In some cultures, there is a "Global village" mentality, that we are all connected and our lives enrich one another’s with love and relationship as we intertwine them on a daily basis. Ephesians reminds us that we should be a "global village", spiritually speaking. We are one, and as one of us hurts, we should all hurt. And as one of us rejoices, we all as one body should rejoice. It is a difficult paradigm to embrace in America. We, as a culture, typically limit our relational bonding to family and close friends. I encourage you to expand your sphere of influence and include others in your life, remembering that we are all one in Spirit.

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Ephesians reminds us that we should maintain unity in the Spirit; that we are one body with one spirit, serving one God. If this is true, we should act and function as though we are one. We should care about one another, pray for one another, get closer to each other, and help each other. In essence, we need to love one another as we love our own families - in as much as that is possible, of course. This may not mean that we open our houses to everyone we meet, but it may mean that we become more sensitive to the Spirit and more open to his direction when it comes to who we should spend time with and who we should show special love to; who we should pray for and who we should reach out to. And maybe, even without knowing it, we will be exercising the principles of this scripture.

Love Enemies

As believers, we must continually strive to emulate the character of Jesus. When we do, not only can we take pleasure in knowing that we are walking in step with the Lord, but the Bible reminds us that a side benefit, is that we will often receive rewards in heaven. But it isn’t easy to be perfect like God is perfect. One difficult mandate given to us is the directive to love our enemies. Jesus says in Luke chapter 6 verse 35:

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

So, to be like God is to be kind to the ungrateful and wicked. It isn’t in our nature to behave like this. Actually, as a species, we are quite selfish. But if we want to be like God, we need to let the Holy Spirit retrain our mind, body and spirit to fall in line with what he wants, not what we want. If we love our enemies, the Bible tells us that our reward will be great and we will be sons of the Most High. Consider the phrase, “the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree”; referring to when a child behaves much like their parent. Let this be said of us when it comes to how others view us in light of our relationship with our God and Savior.

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In the New Testament, Jesus calls us to behave in a way that is contrary to our human nature. He tells us not to look upon the opposite sex with lust in our heart, not to be angry with our brother, to offer our other cheek when someone strikes us, and yes, he also tells us to love our enemies. If this is an area where you struggle, I encourage you to take it to the Lord in prayer. We aren’t built to make these kinds of changes on our own. That is why Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit. We need to draw on his strength to succeed in areas where our flesh fails. But to do that, we have to surrender ourselves to him and let him do what needs to be done in our heart without fighting or rebelling. It isn’t easy, but Jesus wouldn’t ask us to do it if it couldn’t be done.

At Peace

I believe the Lord wants our hearts to be at peace. He wants us to rest in him. Jesus tells us in John that he has come that we might have life and have it to the full. Often times our lack of peace comes when we compare our lives to others, and envy grows in our heart. Proverbs 14:30 challenges us with these words:

“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”

I’ve always believed in the theory of relativity. No, I’m not talking about the scientific theory, but the philosophical theory. I’ve been to Haiti several times in my life, and yes, they are poor… very poor. Haiti is not a third world country, it’s a fifth world country. Many Haitians have to walk up to a mile just to get their water. Others may go days without eating anything substantial. However, since everyone around them is in a similar situation, they seem to be at peace. Their poverty is relative. Since no one is substantially richer than someone else, they are better able to accept what they have and quite often find peace. I believe that much of their peace derives from the fact that there is no one to envy. Since everyone is poor, there is little to covet. However, in America, if my neighbor has a better job, a prettier girlfriend, or a fancier car, I may become envious because I may perceive that they have more than I do. Proverbs teaches us that a heart at peace doesn’t envy. We need to be content with where God has us in spite of what everyone else may have. Let us not have our measure of peace rely on the philosophical theory of relativity. In other words, regardless of whether someone has more than we have, let us be at peace, remembering that the ultimate prize is salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ. If we’re able to do that, Proverbs teaches us that it will give life to our body.

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Proverbs tells us that envying others can rot our bones. Longing for what others have can cause bitterness, relational separation and can really eat us up inside. I encourage you to learn the secret of peace. Proverbs gives us a hint. It isn’t about comparing our lives, possessions or relationships with others. We need to be thankful for what God has given us and remember that true peace is focusing on heavenly things, not on earthly things.